Communicating structural calculations 13

[spaderess]

There is a disregard for the handicraft of writing and performing legible sequences of calculations in my immediate context. Trying to check or re-use even my own, let alone others, calculations is a pain.

I have been looking into literature or standards in an attempt to better this. Yet, most of the stuff I found is centered on general mathematical writing and therefore not as applicable. The only books I found directly dealing with the specific problems are Robert Motes books The Engineers Word, and The engineers Tables. Standards, on the other hand, seems to be specific to firms and not accesible from the outside. This lack is surprising, coming from an architectural background, where all aspects of drawings are highly standardized.

Therefore, my questions are these.
1. Are there any literature or widely available standards dealing with presentation and/or performing of structural calculations?
2. Do you know of any examples of sets of calculations available, to be used as a best-practices-example?
3. What do you consider to be essential qualities in regards to clarity when checking others calculations?

 

[dik]

How do you document your hand calculations? Do you write them on a sheet of paper?

I use a pdf printer driver with my computer and create *.pdf files of my spreadsheets, etc. and copy these to the project file. If needed, they can be printed out.

Dik

 

[Agent666]

I always find it handy if the drawings match the calculations, just saying because I seem to find more often than not that nothing matches due to design progression/laziness. Engineer designs something without a thought to how it's build /detailing, gets drawn and issues highlighted, design modified by draftsperson (and perhaps engineer), calculations (and sometimes analysis) never updated. I've wasted the fee for peer reviews before I even start trying to figure out what's going on regarding the info I've got/not got, drawing/calculations discrepancies, etc.

One other point I'd make is any external peer review shouldn't substitute for robust internal verification.

 

[XR250]

I rarely if ever have to provide calculations in my business other then when I provide metal stud shop drawings.
I typically fully draw the detail as it will be shown on the structural sheets using seat-of-the-pants engineering and some quick calculations.
That way I have already worked out the constructibility issues.
I then print it out on 8 1/2x11 and add the actual confirming calculations on top. It is easy to draw arrows to each connection or member and show the calc for it.

 

[Agent666]

A Webinar based on the document JAE linked to earlier in the thread (A Guideline Addressing Coordination and Completeness of Structural Construction Documents)
Link
Have not viewed it yet so cannot attest to its usefulness,but thought others might be interested.

 

[MJB315]

A good calculation sheet needs to read like a good story.

The only purpose of calculations is to help an engineer make a decision. And humans, generally, can only make a decision after they've framed the problem in context of a story.

Therefore, your calculation better be written as if it was a story to help you, your future you, or someone else make or understand the decision at hand.

"We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us." -WSC